


Cut Me a Thread of Fate

by Kitty514



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Moving, Some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-12-18 23:05:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11884728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitty514/pseuds/Kitty514
Summary: Cisco moves to a new town after losing his job and receiving a house a part of an inheritance from a deceased relative. There, he meets Harry, the owner of a plant shop who seems to keep throwing Cisco off his game.Will he be able to find his way around this, or will fate tie them together?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I think I've attempted to write this story five times now, twice as a Coldflash fic and now three times as a Harrisco fic, and every time it changes a bit. The story was originally supposed to have the characters have their superpowers, but I couldn't find a good way to write it so that was trashed (maybe one day I'll try it again). So I'm starting over once more and determined to write this thing. And if I don't, I give you permission to reach through your computer and slap me. But anyway. Fifth times' the charm.

Midnight.

Cisco notes the time displayed on the microwave’s clock as he places the last of the coffee mugs into a cupboard. He glances at all the now-empty cardboard boxes scattered across the floor of his new, tiny (but not super-tiny like on those crazy house-hunting shows) house. 

It’s done. He’s moved in. Moved to a new city. Well, town is more like it, seeing as how there’s only less than five hundred people in cozy little Centerville. 

The name is not great, Cisco admits, but he can sort of forgive whoever proposed it. He can imagine the person who founded this place looking at the mountains surrounding them on basically all sides, looking at where the town was in relation to that, and saying, ‘Wow, we’re basically on the center point between these mountains. Wait, I think I’ve got an idea for a name….’ 

Cisco shakes his head, clearing it. He takes in a deep breath. He means to make some cool, grandiose statement to end his final night of unpacking. 

Instead, Cisco gives a swift kick to the nearest empty box and lets out an even swifter, “Fuck you, box.” 

Not his best speech ever, but it’ll have to do. 

He has work tomorrow morning, tackling a job at one of those touristy souvenir shops that sells the exact same stuff as the one across the street from it. It’s not his dream job; that went up in flames- literally- when the research lab he worked for caught fire and burned to the ground a few months back. 

Then an uncle Cisco didn’t even know he’d had had died and left Cisco his house here in Centerville, nestled into a pretty suburban area. He’d felt as if it was a sign to restart his life, try to rebuild some stability and peace he sorely needed after his brother had been killed in a drunk driving accident last year. Still, this all seemed like a bad movie plot. All that was needed was a love interest or a murder. Or both. Hopefully not both. And hopefully not murder. 

Cisco falls into his bed with a sigh. God, he hoped this wasn’t the murderous kind of town. 

* * * * * 

“There’s been a murder! Someone please help!” 

Cisco glances up from the register at the sound of the young teen’s puberty-induced cracking, wavering voice. Lying on the floor by a stand of sunglasses is a young boy holding a novelty plastic knife between his arm and torso. Standing over the boy is the teen who just yelled, waving his arms dramatically. 

Cisco opens his mouth to say something, sees his boss shaking his head at him from behind a rack of overzealous graphic t-shirts, then closes his mouth and hands the customer her change. She takes it and goes over to the two boys to scold them. He lets out a breath of relief as they leave the souvenir shop seconds later. 

A cool breeze wanders in through the open front door. Outside, the sun is shining brightly, reflecting off the front windows of the quaint brick buildings housing shops and restaurants and other small businesses. It seems like everything in this town is local, no chain stores in sight. His boss had told him the nearest McDonald’s is over forty minutes away. It’s like living in a nightmare where you move into the perfect little town only to find out they don’t have fast food. Spine-chilling. 

Cisco spends the rest of the day learning the ropes of the job, trying not to mess anything up and trying even harder to keep a smile on his face for the customers. He’d give anything to be back in a lab, keeping human interaction to a minimum. 

However, the day passes quickly enough, and before Cisco knows it he’s standing outside the shop a free man for the rest of the day, frowning as deeply as he can to counteract all the smiling he’s done. 

“Geez, you look grumpier than my dad,” a voice says next to him. “And that’s pretty hard to accomplish.” 

Cisco turns to a young woman with light brown hair grazing her shoulders. She’s smiling pleasantly at him, and he finds it hard not to smile back even though it hurts his face. The woman extends a hand to him. 

“The name’s Jesse,” she says. “I work next door with my dad.” She gives a nod pointed behind Cisco. 

Cisco glances over his shoulder at a plant shop sitting to the right of the souvenir shop. Flowers sprout from big pots on either side of its entrance and peek out at him from behind its windows. The sign above the door reads ‘ _Blooms and Buds_.’ 

He turns back and shakes Jesse’s hand. “I’m Cisco. I’m working at this shop right here. Though from your face I can assume you somehow already know that.” 

Jesse gives a small, knowing nod. “The owner- your boss- told me and my dad that he hired you. He’s been running the place by himself the past couple of weeks ever since the worker before you quit.” 

“Can’t blame them for walking away,” Cisco mutters. “I’ve never been around so many screaming children being dragged around by their parents. I think I’ll be hearing their screams in my dreams tonight.” He grimaces. 

“Well- and I’m not being conspiratorial here- but if you ever want a quieter place to work, _Blooms and Buds_ might be willing to hire someone new,” Jesse says. “Isn’t that right, dad?” 

Cisco glances over his shoulder again, in the direction of Jesse’s gaze. Behind him (how and when did this guy get there so quietly?) is a man dressed in all black, with messy brown hair and glasses, holding a bouquet of roses. Their eyes meet, and the man seems to read Cisco in one quick, intense moment. It makes Cisco feel like the ground beneath him has suddenly and unexpectedly disappeared. 

“If he knows anything about plants,” the man says, holding Cisco’s gaze, “I’d maybe consider hiring him.” 

Cisco tries to take a subtle look at the ground to reassure himself that it’s still there before turning around to fully face the man. 

“I can grow some mean tomatoes,” Cisco manages to get out. “And we all know that’s not easy.” 

One corner of the man’s lips lifts up so minutely Cisco almost misses it. The man’s face returns to neutrality a split second later as he transfers the bouquet he’s holding to one arm. He approaches Cisco and extends his free hand out. 

“Harry Wells,” he offers. 

“Cisco Ramon,” Cisco responds far more smoothly than he expected as the two of them shake hands. 

“You just move here?” Harry asks, then continues on when Cisco nods. “What made you move all the way out here?” 

“Oh, you know. The usual. Mysterious lab fire, reclusive dead relative, free house. Normal stuff.” 

Jesse lets out a laugh next to Cisco, then stops when she sees his expression. “Oh, you’re serious. Your relative died in a lab fire?” 

“No, I think he died of natural causes. I was the one who worked in a lab, doing engineering stuff. I really loved working there,” Cisco replies a little gloomily. He can see Harry inspecting him out of the corner of his eye and it takes all of his self-control not to squirm. This guy makes him feel like he’s under a microscope being studied. 

Jesse gives Cisco an apologetic look. “That sucks. I hope things go better for you here.” She turns to her dad and points at the flowers he’s still holding. “Were you taking those to Dr. Stein?” 

Harry nods once. “I should-” 

Jesse grabs the roses from him. “I’ve got it. Dr. Stein likes to give flowers to his wife at the beginning of every month,” she says to Cisco, a bit wistful. “It’s so romantic.” 

“And that delivery will be so late if you don’t take it over to him now,” Harry interjects with a raised eyebrow. He shoos her off affectionately before switching his attention back to Cisco. 

“Hey, are there any coffee shops around?” Cisco inquires, checking the time on his phone to calculate how much caffeine he can consume to ensure it wears off before his bedtime of two in the morning. 

Harry nods. “On the next street over. You just have to go around the there and-” 

“Or you could walk me over there and maybe get a coffee with me?” Cisco knows he shouldn’t have said that as soon as he blurts it out. 

Harry blinks, his face going blank. Then he raises his chin as if in understanding. “I’m not…” 

Cisco’s eyes widen in panic. “No, that not what I meant,” he says quickly. “I just thought it’d be good to get to know someone who lives here. It’s, uh, yeah. Sorry about that.” 

“I should close up shop,” Harry replies awkwardly, shoving his hands into his pockets. He pulls a hand back out again and hands Cisco a small slip of paper. 

Cisco takes a look at it, reading the business card’s information on _Blooms and Buds_. 

“If you need any plants, come by the shop,” Harry says. “Or if you’d like to interview for a job. I’d hate to take away a worker from that souvenir shop, but Jesse and I could really use extra help.” He seems to nod to himself before fixing Cisco with a final look. “I’ll see you around, Ramon.” 

“Yeah, you, too, Harry.” 

Harry walks back into his shop, leaving Cisco alone on the sidewalk. Cisco looks around, as if looking for anyone who might’ve just witnessed Cisco embarrassing himself. But the streets are basically empty now that the sun is starting to inch below the mountains. 

Cisco takes a deep breath, focusing on the fresh air and the view of thinning timberline on the mountains surrounding the town. Things could’ve definitely gone worse, he guesses. 


	2. Chapter 2

Turns out that the one coffee shop in town, called _The Brews Brothers_ , actually has good drinks. It’s a blessing, honestly. He doesn’t know what he’d do if he’d been hit with the double whammy of no fast food _and_ terrible coffee.

Cisco is standing outside the coffee shop now, a couple days after his first day of work, which also means he’s standing out in the rain. He's enjoying the cold kisses each raindrop plants on his skin, lulling him into a calm mood. He wishes he didn’t have work in a few hours so he could curl up on the couch and watch movies all day. It just wasn’t meant to be, though. 

A hand lands on Cisco’s shoulder and he’s startled out of his reverie. 

“Woah, sorry,” a tall, scrawny man with brown hair says. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. You’ve been standing in the rain for a solid five minutes. You’ll catch a cold.” He shifts the umbrella he’s holding so that it’s covering both him and Cisco. 

“Did someone say ‘cold’?” Another man appears next to the scrawny guy, wearing a blue parka and holding two coffees. He hands one off to the scrawny guy. “Also, kid,” he says to Cisco with a drawl, “you’re kind of blocking the coffee shop’s door. Luckily, I’m nimble and can manoeuver out of tight spaces.” 

The scrawny guy rolls his eyes and tries to wave the parka-wearing man away to no avail. “Ignore what he says. I’m Barry, by the way. And this guy here is Leonard.” 

Cisco gives a small nod. “I’m Cisco. Nice to meet you. Do you live here?” 

“Yep,” Barry responds. “Born and raised in this town. I work down at the police station, and Len here does… miscellaneous jobs.” 

Len chuckles at that. “That’s one way to put it. Another way to say it is ‘potentially illegal but the police haven’t proven anything yet.’” 

“Huh.” Cisco glances between Barry and Len. “Should you two be seen together? That kind of sends a weird message. You know, the corrupt cop kind of message.” 

Barry actually blushes a bit. “Well, I’m not a cop. I’m in forensics. But you, uh, have a good point.” He checks his watch. “I better get going, but I meant to ask you, Cisco, how long are you staying in town?” 

“I actually moved in here a little while back, so I’ll be here a long time, hopefully.” 

“Awesome. There’s a festival the town puts on each year, and it starts next month. You should come and check it out, maybe bring a friend. My friend Iris actually put a lot of it together. But, anyway, I should go. It was nice to meet you.” 

Len smiles innocently at Barry as he leaves, then gives Cisco a small salute before heading off as well. Cisco reluctantly waves both of them a farewell. 

“That was odd,” Cisco whispers to himself. He shakes his head and a piece of wet hair gets stuck in his mouth. He could use a change of clothes, preferably the dry kind. He pulls the hair out of his mouth with a grimace as he starts to walk back to his house. 

His house. It’s a weird concept. Cisco’s been living in cramped apartments since he was old enough to move out. Now, he’s living in a small but cozy house in the mountains. 

And, if he’s being truthful, all he wants to do is share all this with Dante. He and Cisco had only just begun to truly understand each other and really talk to one another when Dante had suddenly just vanished from his life. It all felt so unfair, like a cruel joke the universe had played on Cisco. 

Cisco quickly wipes away the tears that had fallen onto his cheeks- though it’s likely the rain was obscuring them- when he spots two people not far down the road, outside a neat blue-gray house decorated by purple butterfly bushes. The people are loading plants that are lying on the house's front yard onto the bed of a truck parked in the house’s driveway. Cisco recognizes them as Jesse and Harry, from town. Jesse sees him and quickly waves him over. 

Cisco plasters on a smile as he approaches. “Hey,” he says steadily enough. “Need any help?” 

Jesse says ‘yes’ and the same time Harry says ‘no.’ Harry gives his daughter a pointed look as he sets a pot down in the truck, water streaming down his face. He looks broodier like that, especially when he’s dressed in all black. Jesse, wearing the hood of her coat up, is looking less like a grumpy wet cat than her dad does. 

“What?” Jesse asks her dad innocently. “He’s offering to help.” 

“And you’re just trying to get out of working so you can go see Wally,” Harry counters, though he sounds and looks more exasperated than angry. 

Jesse shrugs and gives Harry a guilty smile. “It’s possible that might’ve crossed my mind.” She reaches down to grab a stout wooden box with small plastic pots lined up in it, but Cisco beats her to it, placing it gently in the truck. 

“I’m happy to help,” Cisco says. “Plus, you’re, what, a teenager? You should be out having fun and causing trouble.” He shakes his head when he sees Harry doing the same. “Not causing trouble. Don’t do that. Make good decisions.” 

Jesse fixes her dad with a hopeful look. “Can I please go out for a couple hours? I promise to stop by the shop around noon.” 

Harry glances between his daughter and Cisco, looking more than a little defeated. “Fine. Go. But you better be back when you say you’ll be back.” 

Jesse claps her hands together with a grin and gives Harry a hug. “I like him, dad,” she says in reference to Cisco before rushing off. 

Harry sighs and gives Cisco a look that says ‘it’s your fault if I get stuck working by myself all day.’ Cisco responds with an exaggerated grin, then picks up another box to put in the truck. 

“You live in that house?” Cisco asks a few moments later when Harry makes it clear that he’s not going to speak. 

“Yeah,” Harry grunts noncommittally. 

“You’re not much of a talker, are you? Now I’m kind of glad that we didn’t get coffee together. I get the feeling I’d be carrying the conversation.” Cisco smiles softly to show Harry that he’s not trying to be mean, only poke fun. 

Harry suddenly moves in close to Cisco, who's immediately frozen in place as Harry reaches past him into the truck bed to move a box, barely looking past him. Harry’s eyes are so blue and his cologne is much more heady than Cisco would ever admit. It feels like the ground beneath him has disappeared all over again. He knows he'll start hating that feeling if it keeps happening.

Harry moves back away and leans over to pick up the last potted plant. “Are you going to come help me unload everything at the shop?” he asks, and some of the weird tension in the air subsides. 

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Cisco stutters out. He takes a quick breath, then lets it out. “I just have to go home and change for work real quick, then I’ll come by the shop.” 

Harry lets out a small hum. “I’ll see you in a bit, then.” He fishes his keys out of one of his jacket pockets and unlocks the truck. He opens the driver side door, then pauses. “Oh, and, Ramon?” 

“Yes?” 

Harry hesitates a little bit. “If you really want a different job, _Blooms and Buds_ could use extra help.” 

“Why?” Cisco asks. 

“’Why’ what?” 

“Why are you offering me the job? You only just met me a couple days ago.” 

Harry shrugs nonchalantly and takes a second to respond. “Jesse likes you, plus she’s going off to college soon so I’ll be down a worker when she leaves. And you seem like you know what you’re doing. In general, at least. We’ll see if you actually know anything about tomatoes.” 

“I don’t,” Cisco blurts out. “Know what I’m doing, that is. In general. I probably shouldn’t have said that right after you offered me a job. It makes me looks bad before you've even had a chance to interview me or get to know me. I’m gonna go before I keep on rambling, but I’ll be by the shop in a few.” 

Harry cracks a small smile, and Cisco almost misses it. But it’s there for the briefest moment before Harry gets into the truck. Cisco turns tail and heads down the sidewalk towards his street, listening to the sound of Harry’s truck starting then driving off in the opposite direction. 

Cisco takes a shaky deep breath. _Wonderful idea, Cisco_ , he thinks. _Run your mouth off and make yourself look bad in front of the guy thinking about hiring you away from a shitty job_. 

Cisco half-jogs back to his place to change clothes, put on a heavier jacket, and squeeze the excess water from his hair. He fast walks in the lessening rain back to _Blooms and Buds_ , then slows his pace as he approaches the store. He suddenly feels nervous. It’s a wonder he’s been able to interact with Harry at all, what with him being slightly terrifying at all times. 

“Back here, Ramon,” a voice calls out. 

Cisco stops in his tracks and glances down an alleyway between the plant shop and a neighboring real estate building. On the far end of the alley is Harry’s truck. Harry himself is grabbing plants out of the truck bed as he spares a single glance at Cisco. 

Cisco travels down the alleyway to Harry. Directly behind the plant shop is a nursery, surrounded by aluminum fencing and covered on top by mesh tarps that look like semi-ceilings. The back of the shop and nursery is actually bordered by an open grassy area that leads up to a string of tall trees. He hadn’t realized that there weren’t any other buildings behind this strip of buildings. 

“You can call me Cisco, you know,” Cisco says absentmindedly as his eyes roam the conglomeration of flowers, saplings, and other plants. It's beautiful, honestly. He doesn’t even realize he’s talking for a couple of seconds, but finds it hard to stop himself. “This place reminds me of my mom’s garden, before it was cleared out to put a pool in our backyard. I used to love running through all the leaves and flowers, pretending like I was on some big adventure through the jungle.” 

“Sounds like you had fun when you were a kid,” Harry says, leaning back against the truck. 

Cisco feels his chest contract painfully. “I guess you could say that. I don’t really think back on it much.” He tries to offer a small smile, but knows it's fallen short. “What made you want to start this business? It seems pretty specialized.” 

Harry senses the change in subject and thankfully rolls with it. “My late wife used to read books upon books about garden and would tell me everything she’d learned. She had the worst green-thumb of anyone I’d ever met, though. Could never manage to keep anything alive, but still she wouldn’t give up on it. After she passed, I tried my hand at gardening and found out I wasn’t terrible at it. “When Jesse and I moved to this town, I thought I’d try to start a business with some of the money I’d saved up. I wanted to do something I liked and was good at. It’s just my luck that even people who live up in the mountains, surrounded by wildflowers, prefer to buy their flowers, instead. The other plants are just a plus to them.” 

Cisco lets out a small laugh. Then he finds himself laughing more, more than he has in a while. It feels good. 

“What?” Harry inquires, looking confused. “Was it something I said?” 

“Kind of,” Cisco responds when he’s got himself under control. “I’m just surprised to hear that many words from you at once. You looked so wistful, too. I was afraid to move or even breathe in case it made you stop talking.” 

Harry lets out an irritated huff and turns from Cisco to pick up a potted plant from the truck, but Cisco can see the hint of an amused smile on Harry’s face. Harry makes as if he’s wiping rain from his face, and the smile is gone. But Cisco knows it was there, though he doesn’t know why he feels so proud about that. 

“Just help me put this stuff in the nursery,” Harry says, handing Cisco the plant. 

“Can do,” Cisco replies, dutifully taking the plant through a gate in the nursery’s fence. “Oh, and, Wells?” he says when Harry comes into the nursery with a box. 

Harry raises an eyebrow and Cisco takes it as a signal to continue. 

“I think I’d like to work here.” 


	3. Chapter 3

“Okay, my turn for a question,” Lisa says, leaning in and placing her arms on the diner’s table. She levels Cisco with an amused look from across their shared booth.

Cisco leans in, too, taking a sip of his burnt coffee. It tastes terrible, but he’s paying for it so he might as well drink it. That doesn't make it go down any easier, though. 

“Who,” Lisa says, pausing a bit for dramatics, “is the most attractive person in this town, that you’ve met so far?” 

“Is it a cop-out to say ‘myself’?” 

“I know we just met but I didn’t take you to be the narcissistic type.” Lisa laughs a bit. 

Cisco smiles back. He’d gone to this diner on the outskirts of town for breakfast after finding out he had no food left in his house. Then Lisa had shown up and invited herself to sit with him, quickly chatting him up. It had been unexpected but not unwelcome. 

“Alright,” Cisco says, “I need a second to think it over.” 

“Fair enough. I’d have to say that I’m the most attractive person I’ve met in this town. Or anywhere, really.” A sly smile makes its way onto Lisa’s face. 

“Oh, and I’m the narcissistic one here? Fine. I also vote for you.” 

Lisa gives a little flip of her golden brown hair. “Good choice.” 

Cisco grins at her. “So, I heard about some festival in a couple weeks. What’s that about?” 

Lisa quickly finishes off her eggs before speaking. “It’s some sort of spring celebration. They’ve got games and raffles and food. That’s always a plus. You should go. Join me and my brother.” 

“You have a brother?” 

“Yeah, Lenny. We live together.” 

“Lenny, as in Leonard? I’m pretty sure I met him not to long ago. He seemed… nice.” 

Lisa laughs. “Don’t worry, I know he can be a bit out there. He’s a good guy at heart, though.” 

Another sip of coffee makes Cisco grimace. “Does that mean you’re part of his ‘illegal activities’?” 

Lisa shakes her head. “I’m not into drug running, however good it is for the town’s economy. Money laundering, though…” 

Cisco raises his eyebrows at her and she grins back innocently. As Cisco opens his mouth to reply, the bell above the diner’s entrance rings out. He looks past Lisa and his response dies before it’s even started. 

Lisa glances over her shoulder, then turns back to Cisco with an even bigger grin. “I see the mysterious Harrison Wells has caught your eye.” 

“What? No,” Cisco says as he tears his eyes away from Harry, who’s in the process of talking to the waitress at the counter. “He’s probably going to be my future boss.” 

“And? You should ask him to the festival.” 

“No, I’m not doing that. That would be weird.” With a quick glance, Cisco catches Harry paying for a coffee to-go. “Geez, he gets his coffee _here_? Now I really can’t ask him.” 

An exaggerated sigh comes from Lisa before she turns in her seat so she can call out to Harry, waving him over. Harry reluctantly moves over to them, standing at the head of the table, coffee cup in hand. 

“Harry, hi,” she coos. “It’s me, Lisa. I’ve been by your shop a couple times.” 

“Yes, I remember,” Harry replies with an inquisitive glance towards Cisco, who shrugs. 

“So, Cisco and I were wondering if you’d be at the spring festival.” Lisa bats her eyelashes at him, all charm. 

Harry shifts a bit, looking out of place. “Yeah, I’m helping with decorations.” 

“That’s not really _going_. You should show up to the actual festival. Maybe with me and Cisco,” she says with an innocent expression, but Cisco knows better. 

“I’ll uh, think about it,” Harry responds. “By the way, Ramon, do you think you could come by the shop sometime this week so we can discuss what the job would entail?” 

Cisco straightens up a bit. “Yeah, sure. Could I come by today? I don’t have to work until later.” 

“Sure. I’m heading over there now. Just come by whenever.” 

“No, I can- I’ll walk with you, and you can fill me in on some things on the way over.” 

Harry hesitates for a split second, then agrees to it. Cisco ignores Lisa’s self-satisfied smile as he puts money down on the table- enough to cover his and Lisa’s meals- and grabs his coat off the seat next to him. 

“I’ll see you around, Lisa,” Cisco says as he stands up. “Don’t go getting yourself into any trouble.” 

Lisa gives him a small finger-wave. “No promises there. It was nice talking to you.” 

Cisco returns her smile before following Harry outside. It's bright out, but cold. The sudden chill against Cisco’s skin makes him pull his coat on quickly. 

“You and Lisa seem like good friends,” Harry says conversationally. 

“We actually met this morning. Like, a half-hour ago. I think she may be a criminal, and I also think I should be more concerned about that than I really am.” 

A bemused expression crosses Harry’s face, but he doesn’t say anything. A silence lays on top of them for a few minutes as they make their way towards the busier part of town. For now, with almost no one in sight on the sidewalk, it’s an easy silence, one Cisco’s never really experienced before. It’s nice and calming and probably why Cisco builds up the nerve to ask what he does. 

“I have a question for you, Harry,” Cisco says quietly. “It’s personal, though, so you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” 

“…alright,” Harry replies, eyebrows drawn together with a touch of apprehensiveness. 

“It’s about your wife, kind of. How… How did you learn to get past grieving for her?” 

Harry stops suddenly. Cisco walks a few extra steps before realizing that. He stops and turns around to face Harry with wide eyes. 

“That was too personal, wasn’t it?” Cisco hurries to get out, stumbling over his words. “Forget I asked.” 

“No.” 

Cisco blinks at the force behind Harry’s voice. A small sigh escapes from Harry as he runs a hand through his hair, making it stick up more than usual. He looks troubled. 

“Sorry,” Harry says. “I didn’t mean to sound so…” 

“Scary?” Cisco offers. 

Harry cracks a tiny smile. “If that’s how I sounded, then sure.” He takes a sip of his coffee without grimacing, somehow. “I’ve never had anyone ask me about Tess- my wife. And I really only talk about her with Jesse. Even then, it’s never been more than reminiscing about old memories.” 

Cisco nods, his heart picking up pace and his hands starting to shake. He shoves his hands into his coat pockets, willing away his nervousness. 

“I guess there’s not any concrete way of ‘getting past’ grief.” Harry’s not looking at Cisco, but over one of Cisco’s shoulders. “It’s especially hard when someone you love dies. They’re always with you in one way or another. Just last week, I put three plates down for dinner instead of two, and it kept me up for the rest of the night. I’m just glad Jesse didn’t see me do it. You have to find ways to get through those moments, no matter how hard it is.” 

After a little shrug, Harry falls silent. Cisco releases a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Harry doesn’t talk much, but when he does, Cisco can’t help but become mesmerized by his words. A heavy weight has settled in his chest. 

Harry clears his throat awkwardly and says, “Were you asking because of your relative that passed away?” 

Cisco licks his lips and opens his mouth to speak, only to find out he can’t get any words to form. He shakes his head, instead. Harry waits patiently until Cisco can find it within himself to speak. 

“My brother,” Cisco finally croaks out. “He was killed by a drunk driver. I’ve, um, never said that out loud. I don't know how to feel about that.” 

“I’m not the greatest person to go to for comfort.” Harry says it gently, as if admitting a short-coming. 

“You know, I’ve still got a lot to figure out for myself but it helps to know someone else who’s gone through something similar. So, you're helping just by talking with me now.” Cisco pauses. “I’ve probably delayed you-” 

“No, no, it’s fine.” Harry starts walking again, and Cisco falls into step with him. 

“I wish I had a joke to lighten the mood,” Cisco says. “I mean, I could make fun of how you must not have any taste buds if you’re drinking the diner’s coffee. Unless you actually don’t have taste buds, and then that would really suck.” 

A small smile creeps its way onto Harry’s face as he lets out a little huff of air. 

“Is- is that how Harry Wells laughs? Is everything positive you do that small? I’m also starting to think you’re incapable of forming a full smile. Or maybe that is your full smile. See, I have this theory-” 

“Ramon,” Harry interjects, the barely-there smile still on his face as the plant shop approaches their view. 

“What?” 

“Shut up.” 

A laugh escapes Cisco, tension leaking from his body. “You got it, boss.” 

“I’m not your boss yet.” 

“Oh, but, look. Here we are at your shop.” Cisco gestures up at the sign hanging above the entrance door. “And here we are so that you can teach me the ropes of the job. It's almost like you've been considering hiring me.” 

“You’re making me reconsider that,” Harry replies, the hint of a joke in his voice. 

“You’ll love having me around. I promise.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are going to be slowing down because school is taking up a lot of my time, so I apologize for that. Take comfort in the fact that at any given time I'm probably staring blankly at my math homework.

“You can’t do that.”

Cisco looks up at Harry and spreads his hands in a ‘what more could you want from me?’ gesture. Harry responds with his own gesture towards the potted flowers Cisco is placing on a table inside the plant shop. Cisco’s first impression of the shop had been that it was like its own mini jungle, and that impression hadn’t really changed over the past few days, though he’s getting used to the heavy scent of plant-life surrounding him. 

“You can’t put the petunias next to the peonies,” Harry says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Why not? Alphabetically, it makes sense. Plus, both flowers get a good amount of sun here.” 

“I’ve always put the petunias on that table.” Harry points to a table on the other side of the room. 

“You could’ve started with that.” 

“You were supposed to get a chart with all the plants’ positions marked on it.” 

Cisco shrugs. “Jesse never gave it to me.” 

Harry lets out a sigh- the kind that Cisco believes comes with being a frustrated parent. The image is only more pronounced because of Harry’s constantly disheveled appearance. “Where is Jesse, anyway?” 

Cisco shrugs again. “Haven’t seen her all afternoon. Listen, this is only my first week working here. I don’t know what’s what.” 

“No, it’s fine. She’s my child; I should know where she is.” 

"But you don't know where she is, do you?" 

Harry shoots Cisco a small glare, then seems to deflate a little. “No, I don’t. She’s supposed to be _here_ , working.” 

“Maybe she had to stay after school for something.” 

“Or she’s slacking off now that you’re here.” Harry seems resigned to that idea.

Cisco lets out a soft chuckle as he picks up some of the petunias to move them. "I'm sure that's not the case. She seems to really care about this place." 

Harry picks up the rest of the petunias with a small hum and follows Cisco to the other side of the room to put them down on the table there. Their hands brush up against each other briefly, and Cisco wonders what it’d be like to take Harry’s hands in his own and- 

The bell above the shop’s door rings out. A beautiful woman walks in with a man Cisco’s met- Barry, if he remembers right- trailing behind her. Harry smiles, _actually_ smiles, at them, and Cisco is so struck by that that he misses what the woman says. He comes to reality as Barry is speaking. 

“This is Iris’ first time being in charge of the festival. She wants everything to be perfect.” Barry grins at the woman, Iris, affectionately. 

“Of course,” Iris says lightheartedly, turning to Harry. “That’s why I would like to make you a guest of honor. I’d highlight all the help and hard work you put into the decorations, and you could make a little speech. It'll be fun. Will you do it? Please, Harry?” She clasps her hands together in front of herself, a hopeful look on her face. 

Harry seems at a loss for words. “I don’t if… ” He glances over at Cisco as if asking for help. 

“He’ll do it, “Cisco blurts out, earning him a surprised look from Harry, which then turns into something like betrayal. “You’ll do it,” Cisco presses on, giving Harry his best stern expression. “It’ll be good advertising for _Blooms and Buds_.” 

“Your boyfriend has a point,” Iris says. 

Harry glances between Cisco and Iris for a moment, then relents. “Fine. But I don’t want to give a speech.” 

Iris tilts her head to the side. “We’ll see about the speech.” Then she smiles brightly. “Thanks, Harry. I’m glad I get to tell everyone how great you are.” She pulls Harry into a quick hug before disappearing back out the door with Barry. 

Cisco stares at Harry until he asks, “What? I said yes to Iris, so why are you looking at me like that?” 

“It’s not that,” Cisco replies flatly, keeping his face blank. “It’s just, you know, as your boyfriend I’d think I get Level Fifty Harry Smiles instead of Level One Harry Smiles. I’m trademarking Harry Smiles, by the way.” 

“’Boyfriend’? What are you- oh.” 

“Yeah, Iris and Barry just left thinking we’re dating because you completely skimmed over what Iris said.” 

“Oh,” Harry says again, giving Cisco a guilty look. “I’ll fix that when I see Iris tomorrow.” 

Cisco inclines his chin, then smiles. “You’ve got a one track mind, don’t you?” 

“Do not,” Harry responds petulantly. “Maybe we’ve been dating this whole time and I just forgot to tell you.” 

Cisco laughs. “You owe me some dinners, then.” 

The start of a smile forms on Harry’s face. 

“Uh, do I- do I see a real smile coming on?” Cisco jokes. “Am I finally progressing up past a level one friend for Harry?” 

Then Harry chuckles and his smile is so brilliant- and directed right at Cisco- that Cisco’s brain short circuits. He feels like someone struck him on the chest, hard. 

“Did you get through doing the inventory?” Harry asks, his smile fading. 

Cisco tries to speak, tries to find a way to keep that smile on Harry’s face, but finds he can’t quite get his tongue to work. He shakes his head instead. 

“Go ahead and work on that while I call Jesse and figure out where she’s run off to.” Harry moves past Cisco, placing a hand briefly on Cisco’s shoulder. Cisco feels like Harry has taken a part of him when his hand is gone. 

When Harry is out of sight, Cisco lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He places a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating hard under his fingers. Then he lets his hand drop and turns back to work. 

* * * * * 

“So, have you convinced Harry to come to the festival with you?” Lisa asks, her legs swinging lazily from the concrete ledge she and Cisco are sitting on. The slowly setting sun is turning her hair into a halo around her head. 

Cisco half-watches Barry and Len setting up one of many tents for the spring festival in the park’s grass. Their progress is being hindered by a strong wind carrying the scent of wildflowers with it. In the background, a child is screaming joyously as he’s pushed higher and higher on a swing by his mom. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cisco says innocently. 

“Oh, come on. Len said Barry said you two are dating. Harry has to go with you.” 

“We are _not_ dating. That was just a misunderstanding." Cisco pushes his hair out of his face as the wind picks up again. 

Barry loses his grip on the pole he’s planting in the ground and the wind throws it into his forehead with an audible _thwack_. Cisco and Lisa wince simultaneously, and Len is torn between laughing and checking to see if Barry’s alright. 

Cisco keeps an eye on Barry while he speaks. “Besides, I don’t think Harry even has an interest in dating. From what I’ve gathered, he hasn’t dated since his wife died.” 

“And you don’t even know if he likes guys,” Lisa supplies. 

A sigh escapes Cisco. “Yeah, I have no real way of telling.” 

Lisa turns to him with wide eyes. “Oh my god, you actually like Harry Wells.” 

Cisco looks away from Barry trying to get the pole that had hit him to stay upright. “Wait, you didn’t think I liked Harry but still tried to set us up? What kind of logic is that?” 

Lisa shrugs. “You’re new in town and Harry doesn’t seem like he has many friends. I thought it’d be good for you both to get to know each other.” 

Cisco turns back to Barry in time to see him get smacked on the head again by the same pole. Len bends over and puts his hands on his knees, looking like he’s praying for the either the wind to stop or for Barry to stop hurting himself. 

“I know we should probably help them,” Lisa says, “but I also want to see how long it takes for them to get this tent up.” 

Cisco laughs, and Len looks over at them with a pleading look. Lisa responds with a shrug. Len glares at her before getting back to work. 

Cisco glances over his shoulder, catching sight of Jesse walking towards them with a boy he hasn’t seen before. Jesse lifts her arm up in the air with a smile to wave at Cisco. The boy by her side gives a tiny wave as well. Cisco waves back and Jesse hurries over to him. 

“Hey,” Jesse says when she’s close to him and Lisa. “What are you doing?” 

“Watching two idiots try to pitch a tent,” Lisa says monotonously. 

Cisco shrugs and nods a little. “What she said.” 

“Mind if me and Wally join you?” Jesse asks, gesturing to boy next to her, who has a good-natured smile on his face. 

“Not at all,” Cisco says. He extends his hand up to Wally. “I’m Cisco.” 

Wally takes his hand and shakes it. “Wally West. Jesse told me you’re working at her dad’s shop.” He sits down on the ledge and waves to Barry, who waves back. 

Jesse squeezes in between Wally and Cisco. “How do you like the job, anyway? My dad’s not working you to death, is he?” 

“Not yet. Though it would’ve been good to have some extra help earlier today,” Cisco says and nudges Jesse playfully with his elbow. 

Jesse smiles guiltily. “I was helping set up the school science fair. I just forgot to tell my dad about it.” 

Cisco raises a doubtful eyebrow at her. 

“I swear it’s true. Wally can back me up.” 

“I don’t think your boyfriend is a reliable source for your alibi,” Lisa says lightly. 

Len and Barry have wandered over to their little group, clearly having given up on the tent. There's a faint red mark in the middle of Barry's forehead. 

“Agreed,” Len says. “I never once believed what any of Lisa’s boyfriends said.” 

Lisa laughs. “That’s because none of them were that great.” She nods towards Wally. “I’m sure this kid is more trustworthy, but you know how dads- and brothers- get.” 

“Oof, yeah,” Barry says. “Wally, you should’ve seen how Joe used to grill each of Iris’ boyfriends when she was younger. I always felt bad for those guys.” 

“I would’ve paid to see that,” Wally replies. “I bet my sister hated it.” 

“She looked like she was going to strangle Joe every time he started to interrogate them. I hope Harry’s not the same way.” 

“He better not be,” Jesse says. “Plus, I know that I was doing what I said I was, and that’s good enough for me.” 

Wally leans back to talk to Cisco. “You should totally go to the science fair. Jesse’s worked really hard to make it great and she said she’d like to see you there. Plus, her project is killer. It’s almost as good as mine.” 

Jesse slaps him lightly on the arm before turning to Cisco. “Actually, my project is way better than his. I’d like you to go, though, as a kind of thanks for helping me and my dad out. It’s tomorrow night at seven. You can come with my dad.” 

“Who else would he go with?” Barry says. When he sees the confused look on Jesse’s face, he says to Cisco, “Does she not know…?” 

“Know what?” Jesse asks, looking between Barry and Cisco. 

“They’re not actually dating, Barry,” Lisa interjects. “Apparently it was just a ‘misunderstanding.’” 

Jesse lets out an incredulous laugh. “People think you and my dad are dating?” 

Cisco grimaces. "Hopefully Iris is the only who thinks that right now. It should be sorted out tomorrow. I hope." 

Wally speaks up. “What do you think, Jesse? Is Cisco good step-dad material?” 

Jesse is still laughing. “I think the better question is whether or not my dad would even realize if someone’s asking him out on a date after all these years.” 

Cisco sits there, mortified. “Can we please talk about something else? I don’t like thinking about my boss like that.” 

Lisa squeezes Cisco’s shoulder. “So is that a ‘yes’ for the science fair?” 

Cisco turns to Jesse. “Yes, I’d love to go.” 

“On a date with Harry, right?” Len interjects. 

Cisco glares at him as the others laugh. “You may scare me a bit, but I’ll still fight you.” 

Jesse wraps her arm around Cisco’s shoulder. “I don’t think you want to take that risk, Cisco.” 

The conversation changes subject as Lisa brings up the newest souvenir shop opening, wondering how long it'll take until it's the only kind of shop in this town. Cisco listens to the conversation contentedly, feeling like he truly belongs here. 

**Author's Note:**

> [Links to other sites I'm on](http://linktr.ee/kpkl10) 
> 
> Feel free to chat with me or ask me things, and thanks for reading!


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